MARCH 24, 2013, Vol 63, No 06

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www.catholicnews.sg SUNDAY MARCH 24, 2013

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New pope has work cut out for him Francis X Rocca outlines the global challenges facing the new successor of St Peter VATICAN CITY – The next pope will be taking the helm of a Church which now has a greater variety of forms of worship. In his almost eight-year pon worked to emphasise the liturgy’s continuity with the Church’s millennial traditions. He encouraged a revival of Eucharistic adoration and the use of Gregorian chant. almost all restrictions on celebra had fallen practically out of use amid the modernising reforms ! Council. " " edict allowed a kind of liturgical " # even contributed to it by establishing personal ordinariates for " " $ sible for Catholic communities around the world to worship in a " % & '( ) " * $ " & + and also to those who practise Charismatic faith healing and speaking in tongues. In carrying out this aspect of " " draw particular inspiration from the two men who preceded him. , avowed hope that the older and newer liturgies might enrich each

" age a synthesis of various forms of worship embraced by his glob % $* " " / " 0 & " of the Church’s liturgical diversity -

VOL 63

NO. 6

INSIDE HOME Visually impaired cheer up elderly Music centre helps handicapped reach out to others „ Page 5

ASIA Anti-Christian arson in Pakistan Muslim clerics rush to help victims „ Page 8

WORLD Iraqi Church leader urges dialogue The pope’s signet – the ! "" # """

ing international gatherings such as World Youth Day.

New evangelisation " " 1 1 # , " cil’s doctrines did not represent a radical break with the past but followed in continuity with tradition. The next pope may decide that this magisterial task has been

" & " " , " + + + the faith in increasingly secular societies. How he pursues this effort may depend on where he comes from. A European or American – whether from the North or the South – may continue to highlight the erosion of Christian culture in its former bastions. A pope from

Asia or Africa may give relatively great emphasis to the Church’s while acknowledging tensions )# "" particularly Islam. Defence of religious freedom is bound to be another priority for / continue to draw attention to religiously inspired violence and legal restrictions on worship and evangelisation around the world. A European or American is also likely to highlight problems increasingly common in devel &1 " and social services. „ $ #

religious leaders „ Page 12

OPINION ‘Don’t focus on pope’s personality’ instead: historian „ Page 14

BACK PAGE Students hold mock conclave School helps them learn what really happens in Rome „ Page 24

Holy Week and Easter Schedule „ Page 17

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Youth rally touches minds and hearts

Participants of the School of Witness put on a skit on the life of Jesus at the Testify to Love rally on March 2.

Archbishop Goh commends young people for their faith commitment at Testify to Love rally By Martin See K " " & young Catholics at a rally moved # 1 & = " Goh to tears. “I’m not an emotional person & $ @ & > the 700-strong crowd gathered at Catholic Junior College for the Testify to Love rally. ? " + & people can capture the story of God’s love through their performance.� & > $ing at the March rally, the culmination of the School Of Witness U!X=Z "" & # [ X U * * Z & with the Institute for World Evangelisation (ICPE Mission).

SOW, an annual programme, " young Catholics deepen their relationship with God and discover their call for evangelisation. Twenty-seven Catholics aged 17-30 attended the Jan 7-March 3 programme held at the Catholic Archdiocesan Youth Centre at Lorong Low Koon. These participants then organised the recent rally targeted at young people. $ * depicted the Creation story and God’s call to Moses, asking him to free His people from Egypt. The second portrayed the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus and ended with a depiction of Pentecost. The skit was done in contemporary style with singing and dancing. The event also saw young

Catholics sharing their faith stories. Ms Alexandra Paul, who is in her 20s, shared that she used to & & * = & 1 & & she felt as if she had lost her identity. Ms Paul said the recent SOW helped change her perception of in Christ. She now hopes to grow further in her faith, she added. Mr Egan Chan, 18, another SOW participant, shared that he suffered a crisis of faith when he was 16 and stopped attending church. He felt that God touched him in a special way during the SOW programme, which led to him renewing his commitment to God. & > dress to the crowd, said he was in “awe of the sharings and skit performances�. These gave him ? @ Church in Singapore was going in the right direction, he said. The rally was “a contrast� to

‘I’m not an

emotional person but I shed a few tears when I saw the skits.’ – Coadjutor Archbishop William Goh

the commonly held perception “that young people have lost interest in Godâ€?, he added. & > ?" & $ " their lifeâ€?. “Either you’re for Christ or for the world‌If you don’t change society then society will change you,â€? he said. The rally also included praise and worship, a praying-over session, confession, and Eucharistic &

youth chaplain Fr Brian D’Souza. Those who attended the rally said they found it an inspiring experience. The rally “connected me with God�, said Ms Samantha Chew. “I hope to attend more events like this for young people.� Mr Jonathan Tan said he could & gious indifference. “I’m glad I " & $ # 1 " + " @ he added. „ martin.see@catholic.org.sg

ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS CHIA’S DIARY Mar 28 10.00am 6.30pm Mar 29 2.30pm Mar 30 9.00pm Mar 31 11.30am

St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah): Chrism Mass Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: Last Supper Mass Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: Good Friday Service Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: Mass – Easter Vigil Church of the Risen Christ: Mass – Easter Sunday

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Young people to stage Passion plays on Good Friday By Darren Boon Various parish youth groups are all set to stage Passion plays, or scenes from the Stations of the Cross, on Good Friday to % " deeply on Jesus’ suffering and death. Young people from St Anne’s Church will be dramatising the Stations of the Cross at 11am and 3pm on March 29 just before the start of the services in their parish. This is the sixth year that the youth have been involved in the event. About 25 young people are involved in the project – 15 actors, eight support crew and two lectors. They comprise members of the parish’s Youth Council and youth catechists, and some post# " ministry attachments. The cast will act out a scene from each Station and form a tableau until the narration for the next Station begins. The mini drama will be held on a portable stage in front of the main altar. Bryan Francisco, 17, who will be playing the part of Jesus, said he “feels really good� about participating. He acted as John the Apostle last year. Francisco said he decided to take part again this year as “I wanted to contribute to the church and I enjoyed last year’s experience�. He added that he has to be more “focused� on his performance this time round as he is playing a critical role. First-time participant, Terri Teo, 17, who is playing the role of Mary, said she was encouraged by others to take part. Taking on the role helps her to treasure “what Christ did for us�, she said. Meanwhile the youth of the Church of St Ignatius are all geared up to present their Passion play, complete with music and " " % * About 40 to 50 young people are involved in the project, which will be staged at 10 am on Good Friday, said parish youth coordinator John Lum. The group has been staging its Passion play since 2007. The young people from the Church of Sts Peter and Paul will act out scenes from the Stations of the Cross at 1 pm on Good % pray ahead of the 3 pm service. This is the ninth year the group has staged this project. About 30 to 40 people are involved in the play, comprising

I wanted to ‘ contribute to the church and I enjoyed last year’s experience.’

– Bryan Francisco, 17, from St Anne’s Church who will be playing the part of Jesus. He acted as John the Apostle last year.

actors portraying characters such as Jesus, Mary, Veronica and the women of Jerusalem, to backstage crew handling props and make-up. „ darren.boon@catholic.org.s

Youth groups all set to re-enact Jesus’ sufferings for parishioners. Clockwise from top left: Full-dress rehearsal at St Anne’s Church, and past enactments at Church of Sts Peter and Paul and Church of St Ignatius.

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

CJC students ace A Levels despite challenges

From left: Ariel Lin Hsuan, CJC principal Christina Kong and Christina Wang.

By Don Gurugay Two Catholic Junior College (CJC) students faced major challenges in their lives – but overcame them to score in the A Level exams. Ariel Lin Hsuan, who arrived in Singapore from her native Taiwan in 2007 with her family, is one such inspiring story. Despite not being able to speak much English, the permanent resident persevered in her studies. The Arts student, who took History, Economics and Chinese Literature as her core subjects, was preparing to take her A Levels in 2011 when her mother was diagnosed with third-stage cancer. Her father was overseas for work then and her brother, who

had obtained Singapore citizenship, was serving national service. “I was the only one left to take care of my mother and I decided that the only way I could care for my mother was to leave school,� she shared. “I felt bitter at the time & % that nothing is more important than family.� Lin was able to rejoin CJC in 2012 as her mother’s condition improved. She went on to take her A Levels and scored four As and a B. “It was with the help of my teachers who prayed for me, encouraged me and showed a lot of tolerance that I was able to complete my examinations,� she said. Lin added that she plans to study either psychology or business.

Another inspiring story is Christina Wang who scored four As. The Science student was former vice president of the school councillors at CHIJ St Theresa’s Convent and captain of the CJC hockey team, “In primary school, I failed most subjects and it was only in Pri Five that I started to work hard,� she shared. “It was due to my mum who is a single parent. It was her ) " + " *@ The former CHIJ (Kellock) student, who went on to study at St Theresa’s, said she was grateful to her schools for all the opportunities she has received. Wang, who said she has never had tuition, added that she is interested in pursuing accountancy, economics or business. „

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Sunday March 24, 2013 CatholicNews

Visually impaired students bring cheer to home for the elderly Three visually handicapped persons, who took music lessons from a Catholic music centre, performed for residents of St Theresa’s Home on March 2. Mr James Chong, Ms Amanda Chong (both unrelated) and Madam Chua See Tai performed Amazing Grace and As the Deer. Mr Chong and Ms Chong played the guitar while Madam Chua played the keyboard. They are students of Faith Music Centre, which operates a centre at Toa Payoh Rise in collaboration with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH). The centre started in mid2008 in Blessed Sacrament Church. “I feel very awkward taking music lessons at my age and I am afraid that I cannot learn as fast as the younger ones,” said Mr Chong, 71, who has been taking lessons since last September. Nevertheless, he decided to take the plunge and began jug-

gling weekly music lessons, his work as a masseur and church attendance on Saturday evenings. He also had to overcome the physical challenges of learning music because of his handicap. The March 2 concert also saw performances from students of Faith Music Centre’s branches in Queenstown Community Centre and Paya Lebar Kovan Community Club. The music included Mandarin and English oldies familiar to the residents. Volunteers from the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre also danced, sang and cheered along with the residents. According to Faith Music

Ms Amanda Chong (left) and Mr James Chong (centre), both of whom are visually handicapped, performing at St Theresa’s Home.

Centre, the organisation believes that music is not only for the young and sighted. Half of its learners are adults and senior citizens, including some who are in their late 70s. The centre aims to help people bring the joy of music to

Mr James Chong, 71, who is visually impaired, juggled weekly music lessons, his work as a masseur and church attendance on Saturday evenings.

homes for the children and the elderly. For more information on Faith Music Centre, visit www.

faithmusic.com.sg or www.facebook.com/faithmusiccentre, call 6472-8106 or email enquiries@ faithmusic.com.sg

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

President, PM send valedictory letters to Pope Benedict 25 February 2013 His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI The Holy See Your Holiness,

On behalf of the people of Singapore, please accept my best wishes as you step down from your

! " Catholic Church.

28 February 2013 His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI The Holy See Your Holiness,

On behalf of the Government and people of Singapore, I wish to

People all over the world, including many here in Singapore, will remember your tremendous contributions to the Catholic community. You devoted your life to shepherding Catholics around the world, and championing the causes of peace and development. Through your teachings, you have reinforced the Catholic faith and provided a beacon of inspiration and hope in the face of challenges from the modern world. As

a multi-religious and multi-racial society, Singapore deeply admires your tireless efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue and har" * Your legacy will remain for generations to come. Please accept, Your Holiness, the assurances of my highest consideration.

convey my best wishes to you as " cate of the Catholic Church. The ties between Singapore and the Holy See have strengthened under your wise leadership. We have worked well together to advance equity and development, and promote peace and religious harmony. Your decision to appoint an

Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore in ~ ' " $ " stone in our bilateral relations, and clearly signalled the Holy See’s desire to deepen its engagement with Singapore and Southeast Asia. Throughout your papacy, you worked tirelessly to extend the Catholic Church’s outreach to Catholics and non-Catholics, using traditional and new media platforms to disseminate your teachings. You dealt with the challenges during your tenure with leadership and resolve. Your decision to step down from ! % mility and grace. I am sure that your love for the Church will continue to inspire many around the world. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Please accept, Your Holiness, the assurances of my highest consideration.

TONY TAN KENG YAM

LEE HSIEN LOONG

Philippine embassy gives guidelines for overseas voting Filipino migrant workers at Orchard Road. Filipinos in Singapore can vote in their country’s elections from April 13-May 13.

By Darren Boon Filipinos in Singapore can participate in the Philippines’ upcoming elections through the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) exercise. According to the Philippine Embassy, registered overseas voters can cast their votes at the embassy, at 20 Nassim Road, from April 13May 13 from 9 am-5 pm daily. However, on April 13, voting will start at 8 am, while on May 13, voting will be from 7 am-7 pm, says a press release from the embassy. Voters can vote for up to 12 senators and a Party-List Representative, the embassy said. The voter must be present at the embassy to vote and is required to present his or her Philippine passport, work pass (work permit/S-Pass/E-Pass) or NRIC for Singapore permanent residents. Seafarers must present their seaman’s book. Only voters whose names are # { X+ Absentee Voters (CLOAV) are allowed to vote. Those who previously registered as overseas Filipino voters but did not vote in 2007 and 2010 have

been delisted from the CLOAV. Registered overseas Filipino voters may check their names at http://www.comelec.gov.ph/oav/ using the Post Finder function, or check the CLOAV list at the embassy. Those who registered but are unable to locate their names in the CLOAV may send an e-mail to oav.sgpe@gmail.com. The embassy has encouraged voters to vote early. Ambassador Minda Calaguian-Cruz said she hopes her countrymen will take the opportunity to participate in their country’s political life “because we all have a stake in our country’s future, even though we are abroad�. The embassy estimates that 44,000 Filipinos in Singapore are eligible to vote under the OAV scheme. In an email to CatholicNews, the embassy said it hopes employers can grant their Filipino employees, such as domestic workers, a day off to vote. To enquire about the OAV, email the embassy’s OAV Secretariat at oav.sgpe@gmail.com „ darren.boon@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

New pope will need to handle China with care HONG KONG, CHINA – Catholics

in China say they want to see the new pope maintain the approach to their Church taken by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. K Benedict underlined his respect for the distinctive character and history of the Church in China but emphasised the necessary conditions for remaining in full communion with the universal Church. “I want the new pope to continue in the spirit of his two predecessors, tackling the different problems of the Church in China bravely and wisely,� said Bishop Joseph Gan Junqiu of Guangzhou in southern Guangdong province. The prelate, who is in his late 40s, is recognised by both the Vatican and the Chinese government. Clergy and laypeople in China supported the Guangzhou bishop, saying they hope the new pope will promote normalisation of Church life in China while sticking to the principle of the Church’s universality. On March 1, the day after Pope Benedict retired, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China posted an “impor @ & * It called for “clergy and laypeople of the China Church to pray for the health of the resigning pope, as well as the upcoming conclave which will elect the new pope�. The two government-sanctioned bodies are not recognised by the Vatican. CCPA chairman, Bishop Johan Fang Xingyao of Linyi, said that he hopes the new pope will “adopt a tolerant attitude that helps unite the Universal Church and make a greater effort for the normalisation of Sino-Vatican ties.� Cardinal John Tong Hon will be the only Chinese in the conclave electing the next pope. While Bish-

Chinese Cardinal John Tong Hon of Hong Kong walks through St Peter’s Square as he makes his way to the meeting of cardinals at the Vatican on March 8. CNS photo

Clergy and laypeople in China say they hope the new pope will promote normalisation of the Church life while sticking to the principle of the Church’s universality. op Gan of Guangzhou described Cardinal Tong as the pride of the Chinese Church, Ms Clare Li, a layperson in Wenzhou diocese has noted that “Chinese Catholics are also a part of the Church�. “Although the possibility of a Chinese becoming pope seems low, if that ... comes about, Beijing may be more nervous and thus tighten its control over the Church,� says Ms Li. Meanwhile, a group of Chinese Catholics said news of the pope’s decision to resign was “shocking

and sad�, and they wished they had had a chance to meet the pope at the Vatican or, even, that the pope would have had a chance to visit them in China. “Your Holiness has paid special attention to China and saved a special place for the Catholic Church in China in your heart,� they wrote in a farewell letter released by the Vatican on Feb 28. They thanked him for his 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics, encouraging steps to bridge the gap between Catholics registered with the government-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association and the underground Church communities, whose leaders were frequently harassed or imprisoned by the authorities. The 2007 letter also asked government authorities for dialogue on the appointment of bishops. A number of bishops were subsequently ordained with both papal and government approval, before the government returned to the practice of choosing bishops without the Vatican’s approval. „ UCANEWS.COM, CNS

Vaccination drive by Caritas Pakistan KARACHI, PAKISTAN – Caritas Pakistan launched a month-long measles vaccination drive on Feb 27, in the slums of Karachi, Pakistan as a growing outbreak claims more lives across the country. According to the World Health Organisation, 154 children died of measles recently mostly in Sindh province. More than 300 deaths were recorded nationwide in 2012. “We’re targeting four major slums,� said Mr Dominic Gill, executive secretary of Caritas in Karachi archdiocese. “The number of cases is growing. Our focus is on poor commu-

nities where medical facilities are scarce. We are talking about families who cannot even afford three meals a day,� he said. He was speaking on Feb 27 at a clinic set up in a street in front of the Blessed Charles de Foco Church in Karachi’s Saif-ul-Marri Goth slum. A total of 344 chil + day of the drive. Caritas Pakistan plans to extend the vaccination drive to three dioceses in Punjab province – Lahore archdiocese and Multan and Faisalabad dioceses. The Church’s social arm also plans to organise

hygiene awareness seminars in association with other Christian organisations. The recent spike in the number of measles cases and deaths are a result of malnutrition, an ongoing power crisis and Islamic fundamentalism, which opposes vaccinations as well as a lack of government action, the Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians said recently. “There was no follow-up to a national vaccination campaign + @ K Muhammad Tahir Chaudhry, general secretary of the organisation. „ UCANEWS.COM

for election posters MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Church

leaders have been accused of “unprecedented interference� in an election campaign, after they " politicians who supported the recent passage of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) law. The campaign started recently in Bacolod diocese where huge posters of senatorial candidates, who supported the RH law and , elections, were hung outside San Sebastian Cathedral. The posters described the politicians as belonging to a “Team Death�. The country’s election commission has warned Church leaders that posters violate election rules and various groups have urged an end to the campaign. “It makes the process of dialogue, healing and reconciliation / " @ > Claudio, leader of political party Akbayan. Church leaders are “distracting the public from the crucial task of choosing leaders who can address pressing issues confronting the nation,� he said.

Political analyst Mr Earl Parreno said the bishops have “crossed a constitutional line� by “naming names�. € " Church leaders have listed names of candidates to vote or not to vote for in elections. The bishops’ conference only used to issue guidelines for voters, he added. “It is dangerous because it will create a precedent for future issues that will rebound even on the Church,� Mr Parreno said. “It will erode the moral high ground and credibility of the Church.� He also maintained that, by only supporting opponents of the RH Law, the bishops could be endorsing candidates “with questionable backgrounds, such as alleged involvement in corruption�. But Mitchelle Abella, counsel for the Bacolod diocese, said the main message of the posters was not about the May elections, but about the rejection of the Reproductive Health Law. He said the diocese campaign is covered by the “broader constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression and conscience�. „ UCANEWS.COM

Nuns participate in a rally against the Reproductive Health law in 2012. Recently, Church leaders have campaigned against politicians who support the law by hanging posters of the politicians during the upcoming elections.

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Muslims rush to aid Christian arson victims LAHORE, PAKISTAN – Senior Is-

lamic clerics have joined Christian leaders to form a committee to aid victims of a mob arson attack on a Christian slum. “We shall follow up the tragedy and make efforts to support + " " @ € ‚ "

" Pakistan Ulema Council, which represents more than 26,000 clerics in the country, at a press conference in Lahore on March 11. “All Muslim ulamas strongly condemn this savagery and inhumanity,� he added. On March 9, an estimated 3,000 Muslims attacked the Christian slum, called Joseph Colony, { * + " than 175 buildings, including two ‚ " torched, and hundreds of people homeless. $ " # tian sanitary worker, Mr Sawan Masih allegedly criticised Prophet Mohammad three days earlier. Commenting on the attack, senior Islamic clerics, joined by Christian leaders including Dr Paul Bhatti, an adviser to Prime Minis „ 1 + ‚ a day of solidarity on March 15. + " port for the Christian minority and demand swift legal action against 150 people charged in the riot and arson attack. € ‚ "

blamed the country’s contentious blasphemy laws for the attack on Joseph Colony and other similarly violent attacks. “Recent blasphemy cases in the courts have proven that the blas " & " * is a need for effective legislation to

Pakistani Christians protest against the burning of their houses and belongings in Lahore on March 10. The tragedy has prompted Muslim clerics to demand action on the country’s blasphemy law. CNS photo

stop this,� he said in a statement. “We demand the same punishment for false accusers as well.� Other speakers at the press conference urged the Christian community to remain calm in the wake of the attack, which has spawned violent protests in several cities. Several people have been arrested for damaging vehicles and public property in protests that have included both Muslims and Christians angered by the weekend attack. Meanwhile, several Muslim organisations have provided food and other aid to victims. Among them is the Sunni $ it has since cut short its food aid be-

cause other NGOs have set up relief centres near the entrance to the charred remains of Joseph Colony. “We supplied 25 cauldrons of rice the day after the attack. People were in need of immediate assistance and required basic necessities until their homes are rebuilt,� said Mr Iftikhar Khan, a ! $ " "& * ? ! " " "

Islam. Christians are our brothers and we share our concerns together,� he said. ? $ blow to the blasphemy law, which was meant to stop violence in the name of religion. Many ignorant people in the guise of clerics have made it controversial,� he added. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in Pakistan has condemned the attack.

Muslim ulamas strongly condemn ‘Allthis savagery and inhumanity.’

% & ' * + chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council

# , † # "mission for Justice and Peace in a March 10 statement also criticised police for charging Mr Masih, a Catholic, with blasphemy. ? " tion [were] mainly responsible [as they] allowed the situation to develop for 24 hours into a tragedy in the heart of the provincial capital,� the statement said. Lahore is the capital of Punjab,

$ , + + * Fr Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, commission director, lamented that “the political leadership in the address the sufferings of religious minorities especially those related to abuse of blasphemy laws�. " ? +ernment is responsible ... because it paid no heed to recommendations made by the judicial inquiry into the Gojra [incident] in 2009�. + + legation of blasphemy against a Christian, resulted in the deaths of 10 Catholics as 140 homes were destroyed in anti-Christian mob + * " gised in 2011 for the rampage. ? > 1 @ said Mr Joseph Francis, director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance-Settlement, who visited the burned out area. He told Catholic News Service that the arson attack came a day after Mr Masih was taken into custody under pressure from Islamic fundamentalist groups. “Since the Christians had % $ injured,� said Mr Joseph, whose organisation has been in the forefront of extending free legal aid to Christians accused of blasphemy. „ UCANEWS.COM, CNS

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Typhoon recovery slows down MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Three months after a ferocious typhoon slammed the southeastern Philippines, recovery is moving slowly amid fears of “donor fatigue�. US-based Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Philippines, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Philippine Red Cross reported putting out calls for additional funds to provide housing and other support for thousands of people, but that not enough funding has been received since the initial disaster response in December. Fr Edwin Gariguez, direc 1

the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and head of Caritas Philippines, praised the local response to Typhoon Bopha, which affected more than 6.2 million people in normally storm-free Mindanao. Since then, he said, the response from foreign sources for rehabilitation and recovery has been “slow�. “It’s surprising ... that the contribution is not so much,� he told Catholic News Service. “Given the magnitude of calamity, we are not receiving that much�. Caritas Philippines has received a little less than US$1 mil-

‘

’

– Fr Edwin Gariguez, 5 4 Conference of the Philippines and head of Caritas Philippines

+ / 4

lion (S$1.2 million), according to

+ & & , 1 * Catholic Relief Services has received funding for temporary shelters for many of the storm’s victims, but not nearly enough to meet the overwhelming need, said Mr Joseph Curry, the agency’s country representative in the Philippines. “Most of those donors have expended most of their funds during the initial relief phase,�

Catholic agencies aid Japanese tsunami survivors

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Ms Rosalinda Nakanome tries not to look at the sea very much these days. “It’s like I’ve developed a phobia at the sight of water,� she said by telephone, thinking back nearly two years to the tsunami that washed away her home in the northeastern Japanese coastal town of Rikuzentakata. Ms Nakanome and her family were returning home from a shopping trip the afternoon of March 11, 2011, when they saw an enormous wall of water caused by an earlier magnitude nine earthquake rapidly approaching. She said neighbours and bystanders panicked. They headed for a nearby mountain to escape the tsunami’s deluge. “By the time we got to the mountain, our house was damaged. ... We couldn’t return,� Ms Nakanome said. The earthquake and tsunami left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and hundreds of thousands homeless. “If you visit places hit by the tsunami, you see nice buildings, and also kids going to school, people going to temporary shopping malls,� said Divine Word Fr Daisuke Narui, executive director of Caritas Japan. “They do their work, they do daily living.

Fr Daisuke Narui, executive director of Caritas Japan, reads with a young student at a preschool in northeast Japan. Caritas Japan continues supporting families and communities hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake.

But their mental side ... they need help.� Fr Narui said in a telephone interview that counselling is the biggest need for survivors who have lost loved ones, homes and entire communities. A major component of Caritas Japan’s outreach is in-home visits, what Fr Narui calls “tea sessions�. The visits involve young volunteers who chat with survivors, most of whom are elderly. The US bishops’ Catholic Re-

lief Services (CRS) is supporting Caritas Japan’s efforts in the tsunami- ravaged area. Mr Greg Auberry, CRS Asia regional director, said the nature of the response is somewhat different from other areas because Japan is a developed country. The government has the infrastructure in place to support the citizens, but he explained that safety remains an issue, slowing the rebuilding of homes and resettlement. „ CNS

he told Catholic News Service by phone from Mindanao. “So the funding available for the recovery phase is quite limited.� Mr Curry estimated in early March that 79,000 houses remained to be built in the worst-hit areas. Aid agencies face a second "ployment for thousands of people whose livelihood depended on raising crops, Mr Curry said.

Because a majority of the residents owned small subsistence farms or were farm labourers, mostly in coconuts, their work was literally blown away by the storm. The amount of debris is so large that little farmland is available to till. Mr Curry said funds are available to pay residents to clear the debris, but that even if farmland gets cleared, farmers will need money to buy seedlings so they can start over. „ CNS

‘Confessors should help people recognise God’s love’ VATICAN CITY – “To evangelise is to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel that can touch human hearts and open them to accept the love of God,� said Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary. The cardinal spoke to more than 500 seminarians, deacons and priests attending a March 4-8 Vatican course on the sacrament and matters of conscience. Msgr Krzysztof Nykiel, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, said the priests who are the best confessors know how to balance being a father, counsellor and judge; they must know and understand Church teaching and know how to convey it in the confessional with “prudence, discretion, discernment and goodness�. The confessor, he said, must avoid “the danger of creating anguish� in the penitent and instead help him or her learn to ? " > @* The personality of a priest, “his qualities and his defects, have a noticeable weight in the confessional, more than in any other sacrament,� Msgr Nykiel said. Exercising the ministry of confessor is “one of the most $

A priest hears confession.

priest,� he said. A priest needs “to intuit situations of fragility, anxiety, pain or situations

& pride�. A priest also needs to be able to set aside his own concerns and worries and the cares of the previous penitent, giving his full attention to the person in front of him at the moment, Msgr Nykiel said. „ CNS

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Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Late Venezuelan president had rocky relations with bishops SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – The Church had a

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– Auxiliary Bishop Jesus Gonzalez de Zarate, secretary-general of the Venezuelan bishops’ conference

# + ‚ " # * + 0 ) ‚ ) + ? " &

# $ * ? # & " + " + " ) " @ * > ‚ ‚ ‹ ? " @* €

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@ " + * ? ," + % + ) " & & " + ) " @ * € # + ‚ ) " ‚ # # ) + " { " ”* € ”�* „ CNS

WORLD 11

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

US cardinal to discuss concerns with Obama WASHINGTON, USA – New York

Cardinal Timothy M Dolan, in a letter to President Barack Obama, accepted a White House offer to continue discussing the Catholic Church’s concerns about abortion, traditional marriage and rules governing implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Under the Affordable Care Act, the US Department of Health and Human Services mandates that most employers, including religious employers, provide insurance coverage of contraceptives, sterilisation and some abortion-inducing drugs free of charge, even if the employer is morally opposed to such services. Much of the protest has come from religious institutions over what they consider a too-narrow are exempt: only those that seek to inculcate their religious values, primarily employ people of their own faith and serve people of their own faith. The mandate does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to such coverage on moral grounds “We accept your invitation to address these areas together, always with the civility we have both encouraged in public discourse,� the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said in the letter on Feb 22. ?= " opportunity to resolve the per / our religious ministries,� Cardinal Dolan wrote. “Surely we should & & " where neither of us is asked to compromise conscience.� In response, a White House

US President Barack Obama and New York Cardinal Timothy M Dolan pictured during the 2012 Alfred E Smith Dinner in New York, USA. CNS photo

& ~� # dinal Dolan’s warm wishes were welcome and that the president “looks forward to continuing our respectful collaboration�. The cardinal also renewed good wishes and offered prayers for President Obama as he prepared to tackle a long list of goals for his second term that were outlined in his inaugural and State of the Union addresses. Cardinal Dolan said President Obama’s second term “provides a special opportunity� to strengthen and promote marriage, family,

We welcome ‘

$

’

– Cardinal Timothy M Dolan

churches and faith-based ministries of service in order to “keep the American dream alive and well for generations to come�. The letter also listed a series of issues which the US bishops are ready to work with President Obama “for the good of all people who live in and love our nation�. The issues included a reason & " • + & federal budget that protects the

$ • the Middle East and an end to the war in Afghanistan. „ CNS

12 WORLD

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

New Iraqi Church leader calls for dialogue BAGHDAD – The new leader of Chaldean Catholics pledged to foster coexistence and dialogue and urged Christian Iraqis not to leave their homeland, warning that if emigration continues, “there will be no more Christians “ @* — the air as Patriarch Louis Sako approached the altar at St Joseph Cathedral for his installation on March 6 amid tight security. The 64-year-old patriarch, who was archbishop of Kirkuk, Iraq, since 2003, replaces Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly, 85. “I open my heart and mind to you all carrying my motto: ‘Au — „ , @ ! $ # cials, Religious, laypeople, imams ™ in the cathedral. Eastern Catholic leaders, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Sunni parliament speaker X " )† 1 " those who attended. The new patriarch pledged to work toward co-existence and dialogue, as he did in his previous assignments in Mosul and Kirkuk. “I want to stimulate dialogue with my brothers, the Muslim imams, both

! ! @ $ing God that “I was always close " – $ $@* “We have a common message and we have to spread a culture of peace, harmony, brotherhood and mutual respect and make our churches and mosques luminous centres of spiritual and humane + @ ! $ * ?

urge everyone, ‘Igovernors and politicians, to dialogue calmly and avoid all forms of intolerance.

’

– Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad

this way, we can glorify God and become what Jesus called ‘bless " $ ,*@ “In the name of humanity and nationality, I urge everyone, governors and politicians, " consensus and appropriate solutions and to avoid all forms of intolerance, fanaticism, hatred

+ @ * More than 72 churches have been attacked or bombed in Iraq since June 2004. “These past years have been full of events and dangers, and still the shadow of fear, anxiety and death is hanging over our people. This can only end when we love each other and work together & " * “ &

@ he said. “True greatness is achieved not by domination, but by service

@ added. “Our prayer and hope is that peace, security and stability may soon return to our homeland so that it advances and prospers " *@ Iraq’s Christian population, believed to number up to 1.4 million in the late 1990s, now is be + & than 500,000. Almost two-thirds of Iraqi Christians belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Addressing Iraqi Christians, the Chaldean patriarch said: “I know your concern and fears. Overcome your fears, and face the *@ “You are not a minority in this @ " " that Christians have been there for more than 2,000 years, an important presence and witness. “If emigration continues, God forbid, there will be no more

Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad speaks to clergy before his installation as the new head of the Chaldean Catholic Church. CNS photo

# “ @ warned. Patriarch Sako thanked God and his brother bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, an Eastern rite, for choosing him as patriarch, a title that he stressed " ? @* Noting that “the world around @ ? # @* Patriarch Sako was instrumental in calling for the special Synod of Bishops on the Middle East, which was held at the Vatican in October 2010 to address the plight of Christians in the region. During his installation, Pa-

triarch Sako said the Chaldean Catholic Church would renew its liturgy, its method of religious instruction and update its Church structures. “This renewal is aimed at helping the faithful’s understanding and participation in the Christian way of life and their attachment to # # @ * Noting that the Chaldean Church is the largest Christian Church in Iraq, Patriarch Sako pledged to work towards the unity of Christians so they can “stand together, witnessing to the love of God, his forgiveness and salva @* „ CNS

US honour for Korean War hero priest CNS photo

WICHITA, KANSAS, USA – Fr

for Fr Kapaun to receive the honour, asking in 2001 then-SecEmil Kapaun, whose actions as retary of Defence Donald Rumsa US Army chaplain during the feld to review the priest’s record. Korean War saved the lives of The record shows the ‚ 35-year-old chaplain had the and in a North Korean prisoner chance to fall back to safety of war camp before his death, during a battle between US will be awarded the Medal of and Chinese forces, but instead Honour. chose to stay and was captured A priest of the Diocese of along with dozens of men. Wichita, Kansas, Fr Kapaun Former prisoners of war will be honoured during cersaid that during his captivity, Fr emonies at the White House on – " April 11 and at the Pentagon the camp guards by praying with next day, said Mr Todd Tiahrt, captive soldiers, sharing food a former Kansas congressman rations with injured comrades who has advocated for the honand urging them to resist relentour for years. less interrogation. Citing a letter from an Army He died of starvation and staff member preparing for the pneumonia on May 23, 1951, ceremony, Mr Tiahrt said the in a prison in Pyoktong, North award is well deserved. “What he did in the face of Fr Emil Joseph Kapaun, who died in a Korea. A canonisation cause for adversity at the risk of his own North Korean prisoner of war camp, will life was remarkable. I’m very be awarded the US Medal of Honour. He is Fr Kapaun formally opened in 2008 with a Mass at St John pleased by the award. I think seen here ministering to a soldier. Nepomucene Church in his , 1 @ and her family were expected to hometown of Pilsen. Church oftold Catholic News Service.

– The Wichita Eagle newspaper be on hand to receive the medal. An announcement is expected have collected documentation reported that President Barack Obama called Fr Kapaun’s sister- later in March from the White to support the sainthood cause and continue to advocate for the in-law, Ms Helen Kapaun, in De- House and the Pentagon. Mr Tiahrt has long advocated priest’s canonisation. „ CNS cember to tell her the news. She

WORLD 13

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Lebanese youth prepare Vatican’s Way of the Cross BEIRUT, LEBANON – When a committee of Catholic youth in Lebanon set out to compose the meditations for the Way of the Cross, they had no idea that a new pope would preside over the Good Friday service at Rome’s Colosseum. By custom, the pope invites a cardinal or an ecclesial community to prepare the meditations. people of a particular country were asked to participate. Pope Benedict XVI invited the youth of Lebanon to participate through Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, who was named a cardinal in November. The meditations were submitted to the Vatican on Feb 10, the day before Pope Benedict announced he would resign. “Now, on Good Friday, the Lebanese Catholic youth will be like a bridge between Pope Benedict XVI and his successor, & &

" pope after he is elected,� said Fr € the Maronite patriarchate’s youth programmes. More importantly, Fr Hadir said, “We are taking all the wounds and suffering of the Middle East and uniting it with the passion of Christ and the prayers of the universal Church.� Describing the opportunity to compose the meditations as “a great honour�, Fr Bou Hadir

We are taking ‘ all the wounds and suffering of the Middle East and uniting it with the passion of Christ.

’

% < 4 & who directs the Maronite patriarchate’s /

9 ; < / = / / $ 4 >?@ / @ CNS photo

said the invitation is considered a symbolic gesture of gratitude from the pope for the warm welcome he received from young people during a visit to Lebanon in September. Some 20,000 young people gathered on the grounds of Bkerke, the seat of the Maronite

Catholic Church north of Beirut, to meet Pope Benedict on Sept '” + % and chanting in what amounted ) = [ Day for the Middle East. In his speech that day, Pope Benedict told the throngs of young people that they were “the

hope and the future� of Lebanon. ?[ + part of the world which witnessed the birth of Jesus and the growth of Christianity,� the pope said. “It is a great honour. "" to love of this region and, above all, to your calling to be witness-

es and messengers of the joy of Christ.� Under the direction of Cardinal Rai, the task of composing the 14 meditations was divided equally among committees from the six rites of the Catholic Church represented in Lebanon: Latin, Maronite, Melkite, Armenian, Syriac and Chaldean. In addition, six Catholic youth groups, a special needs group and a non-governmental organisation were randomly chosen and assigned a station to focus on, “so as to be fair and transparent�, Fr Bou Hadir said. “It was a very beautiful experience, because working together with all the different rites, it gave us an opportunity to live a real communion in the Church,� Sr Gioia, 29, a member of the Maronite Mission of Life congregation, said of her participation. „ CNS

Cardinals hear report on Vatican bank VATICAN CITY – During their last meeting before entering the conclave to elect a new pope, the world’s cardinals heard a report on the Vatican bank and continuing efforts to comply with international standards to prevent money laundering and the funding of terrorism. Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters that 152 cardinals, including those over 80 years old, were present meeting on March 11. The presentation on the bank was given by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, president of the commission of cardinals overseeing the Institute for the Works of Religion, the formal name of the Vatican bank. Fr Lombardi said Cardinal Bertone’s remarks “completed the series of information� about given to the cardinals who, as a whole, are responsible for running the Church when there is no pope.

Fr Lombardi said Cardinal Bertone’s presentation was brief and touched upon the nature of the bank and “the process of joining the international system of controls� to ensure it cannot be used for money "* The Vatican requested in 2011 that Moneyval – the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing

" š + cial and banking laws. Moneyval’s

0 Vatican met nine of its 16 “key and core� recommendations to prevent

) " * However, in December, Italy’s central bank said the Vatican laws were still too weak, and it halted an Italy-based bank’s contract for accepting credit cards at the Vatican. In February, the Vatican found another provider. Fr Lombardi said 27 other cardinals also spoke at the session. „ CNS

Cardinals from around the world process at the start of a Mass for the election of the pope in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on March 12. CNS photos

+ elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI in the Sistine Chapel.

14 LETTERS/OPINION

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore

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Don’t focus on pope’s personality: historian

VATICAN CITY – Centuries ago –

prior to mass media – popes and the conclaves to elect them did not have the worldwide attention they do now, a historian told reporters. 0 † " of Church history at Rome’s Pon > — + reporters on March 11 that the papal candidates from all over the world reveal the globalisation of the Church while the “preoccupation with the personality of popes� can often be unhealthy in choosing a new pontiff. There is “wisdom� he said, in 1 * But the priest historian also acknowledged that popes have & '�Œ() '�ž� * He also noted that personalities have played a part in the role, 0 III and John Paul II. „ “tried to de-emphasise� the pope’s personality, he added. be wrong to exclude reaching out to people and staying within their

& ? &

There is ‘wisdom’ in just focusing itself rather than on personality, says the dean of Church history at Rome’s $ ; University.

careful that [their personality] doesn’t dominate�. “Popes come with mixed gifts @ that they have to then do their best with these skills in complex situations and in a very responsible role. When a reporter asked if a strong personality, such as Cardinal Timothy M Dolan of New York or Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, Philippines, would be

key for the Church in its evangelisation efforts, the historian noted that the new pope certainly should have a public presence but that is “just one of many characteristics�. The main role of the pope, he said, has nothing to do with personality. He needs to “preserve the barque of Peter�, he said, keeping # ? % direction�. „ CNS

„ From Page 1

The most obvious challenge that the next pope will face in regard to governance is the one closest to home: the need for reform of the Roman Curia, the Church’s central administration. In their preparatory meetings over the week prior to the papal election, the cardinals discussed the corruption and mismanagement sensationally documented ~ '~ ? { $ @ Italian press. Serious reform would almost certainly require national diversi ) " curia, a job that some observers

think an Italian pope would be best positioned to accomplish, given the will to do so. On a global level, no issue of governance is more urgent than that of clergy sexual abuse. A zero-tolerance policy, leading to the exclusion of child abusers from any public ministry, is now in principle the universal norm of the Church. However, the application of that norm remains highly inconsistent at the local level. Financial governance + can has been the object of heightened media attention in recent years, and the next pope will presumably follow up on Pope Ben-

, " + " $ bank’s activities more transparent and in conformity with international norms. In the coming years, the Church’s management of money and property around the world is bound to come under ever greater scrutiny from governments, media and Catholic laity. In order to prevent scandals that could undermine the Church’s credibility, especially in its pronouncements on matters of economic justice, the next pope may have to call on local Churches to develop more rigorous and " nancial activities. „ CNS Rocca heads Catholic News Service’s Rome bureau

Being Catholic and inclusive THERE’S a disturbing trend within our churches today. Simply put, we are seeing the embrace of our churches become less and less inclusive. More and more, our churches are demanding a purity and exclusivity not demanded by Jesus in the Gospels. Indeed the very word inclusivity is often glibly dismissed as being part of the “I am spiritual but not religious� ethos, as if being inclusive were some kind of lightweight, New Age, thing rather than a central demand within Christian discipleship itself. What does it mean to be inclusive? We can begin with the word Catholic: The opposite of being Catholic is not being Protestant. The opposite of Catholic is being narrow, exclusive, and overly selective "& * & # family too narrowly. Catholic means wide, universal. It means incarnating the embrace of an abundant and prodigal God whose sun shines

" &

* 0 this by saying: “In my father’s house there are many rooms.� God’s heart is wide, abundant, prodigal and universally-embracing, a heart that takes care to pray for those “other sheep who are not of this fold�. To be Catholic is to imitate that. In the Gospels we see that Jesus’ passion for inclusivity virtually always trumps His concern for purity and worthiness. He associates and dines with sinners without setting any prior moral conditions that have to be met before those sinners are deemed worthy of His presence. His disciples, much like many good sincere Church people today, were forever trying to keep certain people away from Him because they deemed them unworthy; but Jesus always protested that He didn’t need that kind of protection and that, indeed, He wanted them all to come to Him: Let them come to me! Indeed, that is still Jesus’ call: Let them come to me, all of them! We need to be more inclusive. I highlight this because today our faith families are shrinking and instead of us weeping about this loss of wholeness, we are more prone to be secretly gleeful about it: Good riddance: they weren’t real Christians anyway! Or, in the words of some Catholic commentators, they were Cafeteria Catholics, picking and choosing which parts of the Gospel they like and turning a meaty Catholicism into “Catholic Lite�. Such a judgment, however sincere and well intentioned, needs to

% � 1 " + person making it rather vulnerable. Who is a true, fully practising Catholic? Several years ago, I was asked by a Roman Catholic School Board " & # * + $ / " $ + & " * with this preamble: Only Jesus and Mary were fully practising Catholics. Everyone else, without a single exception, falls short. We are all Cafeteria Catholics. We all fall short; all have shortcomings, and all live the Gospel somewhat selectively. To cite the most salient example: Many of us bear down more on church-going and private morality to the neglect of the non-negotiable Gospel demand of apposite justice; others simply reverse this. Who’s closer to Jesus? Who’s more of a Cafeteria Catholic? The answer to that question lies inside the secret realm of conscience. But what we do know is that none of us gets it fully right. All of us stand in need of God’s forgiveness and all of us stand in need of the patience of our ecclesial communities. % � > 0 + > & * > ness, no sparing of mercy. As the parable of the Sower makes clear, this God scatters His seed indiscriminately on every kind of soil – bad soil, mediocre soil, good soil, excellent soil. God can do this because God’s love and mercy are limitlessness. God, it seems, never worries about someone receiving cheap, undeserved grace. As well, Jesus assures us that God is prodigal: Like the father of the prodigal son and his older brother, God embraces both the missteps of our immaturity as well as the bitterness and resentment within our maturity. Good religion needs to honour that. Today, on both sides of the ideological divide, conservative or liberal alike, we need to remind ourselves of what it means to live under an abundant, prodigal, universally-embracing and Catholic God. What it means, among other things of course, is a constant stretching of the heart to an ever wider inclusivity. How wide are our hearts? Exclusivity can mask itself as depth and as passion for truth; but it invariably reveals itself, in its inability to handle ambiguity and otherness, as rigidity and fear, as if God and Jesus needed our protection. More importantly, it often too reveals itself as lacking genuine empathy for those outside its own circle; and, in that, it fails to honour its own abundant and prodigal God. „

FOCUS 15

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

‘Myanmar Church has role to play in nation building’ Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon shares with CatholicNews the opportunities the Church faces as Myanmar opens up. We present excerpts of the interview. CN: How is the Catholic Church in Myanmar reacting to all the changes and developments in the country? Archbishop Bo: We know that everybody, every citizen, every Christian and every Catholic will have to contribute to the building of the nation. During the bishops’ conference in January, we invited many from abroad to discuss how each Catholic could contribute to nation building. In the past, our voices were not heard at all, we were never consulted. We had of course had no direct, real persecution, but in many ways we were limited and somewhat censored. But now with the opening [of Myanmar], the people feel very psychologically free and can express their opinions. Our religious publications and the news journals have been coming out very freely. In the past, like some of the Church buildings, some of our activities were very much controlled and curtailed by the authorities. Now there are many Christians, many Catholics in parliament. Through them we express our opinions. € + % such as between the Rohingya and Rakhine people, and also between the minority Kachins and the military. It has stopped for a while and we hope that we’ll have real peace. We are very positive about the changes but there is a little bit of suspicion because we are still using the old constitution. But positive things are happening. Now the government is turning more towards the West and less towards China. Christians are people of hope, and we have been praying for these past 50 years for change in the country. We waited so long. God has His own time. CN: What kind of relationship does the Church have with Aung San Suu Kyi? Archbishop Bo: She’s a personal friend. In 1994, when I was Bishop of Lashio, I went to England and became very friendly with her husband, Michael Aris. At that time, I sent two Religious Sisters to England to study and Michael saw that they didn’t have a proper place to stay. He said they could they stay at his

Archbishop Charles Bo speaking at a Church event in Myanmar. UCAN.COM photo

‘Christians are people of hope,

and we have been praying for these past 50 years for change in the country. We waited so long. God has His own time.’

– Archbishop Charles Bo (left). He attended Coadjutor Archbishop William Goh’s ordination and reception

house and take care of his two kids. He would provide the necessary for their education. At that time, I was a little hesitant because of the political sensitivity surrounding Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. But I agreed to the two Sisters staying in the house. They helped out in the house and in the day would go for English classes. You know, the MI (Military Intelligence) from the Myanmar embassy was always watching over the house. The MI saw the Sisters going in and out. So after one year, when the time came for those two Sisters to renew their passports, they were told, “Go back at once!� So they had to leave after one year. When they entered Myanmar, all their things were searched. With that connection since 1994, I became very close to

Aung San Suu Kyi. Even before her release, I visited her three, four times. CN: You were able to go inside her house? Archbishop Bo: Yes. The MI was always watching, but so far they haven’t questioned me. But others were threatened and sometimes locked up. Perhaps it’s because I am a bishop, so they don’t ask, but watch only. ,+ " + six times after her release, on occasions such as when she gave a keynote address to 500-600 young Christians in Yangon last year.

I introduced her to all the bishops and to all the other Christian communities. I was also asked to give a talk at a prayer service for all religions that she organised. Heads of different religions – Muslims, Hindus, Christians – were there. Whenever I invited her to attend various events, she always obliged. Aung San Suu Kyi very much wants to help all the religious leaders. But in the past, the military said: “Politics and religion are separate, don’t interfere. Don’t say anything. You do your prayer service, but don’t interfere in anything.�

CHURCH FIGURES There are currently about 750,000 Catholics in Myanmar, forming about 1.3 percent of the 60 million-strong

population, according to Archbishop Bo. Buddhists form about 85 percent.

Archbishop Bo has met up with pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (above) several times.

For us, we see that we are responsible for the building of the nation. Religion, peace, culture – everything is interrelated. CN: How do you see the Church’s role in the future? Archbishop Bo: In education, healthcare, the building up of the morality of the people and interreligious cooperation. The Catholic Church, with the help of dioceses and the many Religious people, could really build up education. CN: You are talking about opening more schools? Archbishop Bo: More schools, more hospitals, more training centres, building capacities and other education training, morality, all these things. The Church could contribute very much. The needs are so many, you don’t know where to begin. CN: Do you also fear the negative impact of an opening up of the country? Archbishop Bo: K as materialism. Families in Myanmar are 85-90 percent stable with very rare cases of divorce. Also respect for elders, family values, respect for teachers. I’m afraid that once it is open, with the media ... there could be a threat to family values and morality. „

16 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

From Palm Sunday to Good Friday Looking at the journey of Jesus during Holy Week By Marcellino D’Ambrosio PALM Sunday starts with an upbeat Gospel recounting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is a festive affair, complete with a parade route strewn with palm branches instead of ticker tape. But we quickly progress to the stark reading of Jesus’ passion, bearable only because we already know its happy ending. > & , " + in reminding us how shockingly brutal the whole business really was. Two names for the same day: Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. I propose a third name: Fickle Sunday. The same people cheering during the parade were jeering just a few days later. They’d been wowed by His sermons, fed + their diseases, delivered of their demons. But as soon as the tide began to turn, so did they. Their cries of “Hosanna� turned to shouts of a very different kind: “Crucify Him!� Of course, He was not surprised in the least. The Gospels tell us that He knew the human heart all too well. He was not fooled by all the acclamations and fanfare. Flattery could not swell His head. He had no illusions of grandeur or ambition for worldly glory. In fact, St Paul tells us that He had willingly emptied Himself of heavenly glory in pursuit of his true passion – His Father’s will and our salvation. € € ? $ % @* He was on a mission, and nothing would deter Him. He barrelled through barriers that usually stop us dead in our tracks – fear of

Above: Catholics carrying palm branches process into the cathedral in Tegucigalpa, Hon $ _ / 9 ` {

ridicule, fear of suffering, abandonment by our closest companions. He was willing to endure the sting of sin to blot out sin and was eager to face death in order to overcome it. He did indeed have a “welltrained tongue�. His words had mesmerised the crowds, intrigued Herod and even made Pilate stop and think. But now His lips are strangely silent. All the Gospels point out that He said very little during His Passion, collecting only seven brief statements from the cross. & Scripture that said, “Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent

The same people cheering during Palm Sunday were jeering a few days later on Good Friday. before shearers, He did not open his mouth� (Is 53:7b). Actually, everything that happened in these fateful hours ful ! * Isaiah 50 had foretold the

beating and mockery. Psalm 22 lays it all out hundreds of years before it happens: His thirst, the piercing of His hands and feet by gentiles (called “dogs� by the Jews), and the casting of lots for His clothing. The opening line of this psalm happens to be “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?� Could it be that the Lord uttered this phrase to remind us that this was all in the plan? So the virtual silence of His ) Scripture. But there was another reason for His silence. Though Jesus was destined to preach on Good Friday, the message was not to be delivered in words. The language of this sermon was to be body language. Good Friday, according to Jewish reckoning, actually began at sundown on Holy Thursday. ! & €

day, Jesus gave us the verbal caption of His last and greatest sermon: “This is my body, which is given for you.� “I love you� is not so much something you say as something you demonstrate. Diamonds may be a moving testimony to love, but the laying down of one’s life is even more compelling. And though this life is human and therefore vulnerable, it is + + and Christ’s gift of giving up His life is so valuable that it outweighs every offence committed from the dawn of time until the end of the world. It is an act so powerful that it melts hearts, opens the barred gates of paradise and makes all things new. „ CNS D’Ambrosio writes from Texas. He is co-founder of Crossroads Productions, an apostolate of Catholic renewal and evangelisation.

FAITH ALIVE! 17

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Steadfast in suffering By Fr Lawrence E Mick Every year on Palm Sunday, we hear proclaimed the stunning song of the “suffering servant� from the Book of Isaiah. This year, we hear the third of four such songs found in this prophetic book. We hear the fourth one every year on Good Friday. There has been much debate among scholars about who the servant was, and they have not been able to agree on any clear answer to the question. Some suggest that it was a king or a prophet. Others suggest that the servant " * There is little question, however, that # the servant with Jesus. He is the suffering servant who “was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins�. The image painted in the third song that we use on Palm Sunday is of a faithful and steadfast servant. He hears God’s word “morning after morning�, and he has “not rebelled�, has “not turned back�. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting�, he insists. Being God’s servant was not an easy life. Proclaiming God’s word did not bring thanks and great rewards. This is why he

No morning Masses on Holy Thursday & / _ / HOLY THURSDAY (March 28): Evening * | _ + * _ } ~4 " GOOD FRIDAY (March 29): Service only, * HOLY SATURDAY (March 30): Easter ? EASTER SUNDAY (March 31)

CITY DISTRICT CATHEDRAL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 2.30pm & 5.30pm Holy Saturday: 9.00pm Easter Sunday: 8.00am, 10.00am & 6.00pm _ } _‚$& _ &ƒ9 & ~?@  9@+ STREET) Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross: 9.00am; Service: 6.45pm (with procession & adoration till midnight) Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am,10.30am & 5.00pm CHURCH OF STS PETER & PAUL Holy Thursday: 6.30pm (EM*) Good Friday: 11.00am (M*), 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am (M*), 11.00am & 4.20pm CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES Holy Thursday: 6.30pm (Eng. and Tamil) Good Friday: Way of the Cross: 2.30pm, 5.30pm (T*); Service: 3.00pm, 6.30pm (T*) Holy Saturday: 8.00pm (Eng. and Tamil) Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.30am (T*), 11.30am, 6.30pm (T*), 12.30pm (Sri Lankan)

A crown of thorns and three nails symbolise { CNS photo

was tempted to rebel and to turn back. But he did not weaken. He continued to carry out the mission that God had entrusted to him. " $ it clear how he was able to do this. “The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not • + " $ %

knowing that I shall not be put to shame.� The servant relied on God’s power at work in him as his source of strength. He trusted that God would uphold him and that, in the end, God would rescue him from shame. It is hard to think of better texts to lead us into the celebration of Palm Sunday and Good Friday than these songs of the suffering servant. Though they were not written about Je / € the meaning of His suffering amazingly well. At the same time, they challenge us to imitate the ancient servant and Jesus himself. In our own lives, we all face times of suffering that we must endure. How we respond in such situations is up to us. We can rail against our fate, questioning why God should do this to us or even doubting whether God exists. Or we can humbly accept the truth that suffering is part of human life and that God is with us to sustain us through it. If even Jesus himself had to endure suffering, why should we expect to avoid it? Moreover, we have an advantage that the servant in Isaiah did not have. We have seen the glory of Easter Sunday morning. We know how the story ends. „ CNS Fr Mick is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,USA, and a freelance writer.

CHURCH OF ST ALPHONSUS (NOVENA CHURCH) Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: Passion Play: 10.00am; Service: 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 9.00am, 5.30pm

CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY Holy Thursday: 6.00pm, 8.00pm Good Friday: 8.00am (M*), 11.00am, 3.00pm & 6.00pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with adult Baptism Easter Sunday: 6.45am, 9.30am, 11.15am & 6.00pm, 3.00pm (M*) with Baptism

CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 9.00am (M*), 11.00am (Indonesian) & 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 8.00am (M*), 9.30am, 11.00am, 5.30pm

CHURCH OF THE DIVINE MERCY Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross: 5.30pm, Service: 9.00am, 11.30am & 3.00pm. Children’s Service (Chapel): 9.00am, 11.30am & 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with adult Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 9.00am, 11.30am, 3.30pm with Infant Baptism & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL Holy Thursday: 8.00pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross followed by Service: 8.00am (M*), 11.00am & 2.30pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7:30am (M*) with Baptism, 9.30am & 5.30pm EAST DISTRICT CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross: 8.30am; Service: 9.00am; 12.00pm, 3.00pm, 5.30pm (M*) Holy Saturday: 8.00pm with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.15am, 9.15am, 11.15am & 6.00pm (M*) CHURCH OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE Holy Thursday: 6.30pm (EM*), Good Friday: 9.00am (M*) & 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm, with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*) 9.00am; 10.30am & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART Holy Thursday: 6.00pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross followed by service: 10.00am (M*), 2.30pm & 5.30pm Holy Saturday: 7.15pm (M*), 10.00pm Easter Sunday: 9.00am, 10.30am, 12.00pm & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR Holy Thursday: 5.00pm & 7.00pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross followed by Service: 7.30am (M*), 10.30am, 2.00pm, 5.00pm Holy Saturday: 7.00pm with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.00am (M*) with Baptism, 8.45am, 10.30am, 12.15pm, 3.00pm (Children’s Mass), 6.00pm

CHURCH OF ST TERESA Holy Thursday: 5.00pm & 7.00pm Good Friday: Way of the Cross followed by service: 10.00am & 2.30pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am, 10.30am, 12.30pm & 6.00pm

CHURCH OF ST STEPHEN Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 10.30am (Mylm*), 3.00pm & 6.00pm Holy Saturday: 9.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*), 9.00am, 10.30am, 3.30pm (Mylm*) & 5.30pm

NORTH DISTRICT _ } _‚$& &ƒ9 & ~4ƒ†@ TIMAH) Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: 9.00am (M*), 11.00am, 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.15am (M*), 9.00am 11.00am & 5.30pm

FOOD FOR THOUGHT No one would have guessed in 2012 that Pope Benedict XVI’s Palm Sunday homily would be the start of the last Holy Week he’d celebrate as pope. He called the occasion “the great doorway� to Holy Week and reminded us of the message the Palm Sunday feast brings, mainly an “invitation to adopt a proper outlook upon all humanity, on the peoples who make up the world, on its different cultures and civilisations�. The Holy Father challenged us when he told us to “ask ourselves: What is really happening in the hearts of those who acclaim Christ as king of Israel?� Do we want a king whose glory is aggressive might and material riches, one who enters as the Roman rulers did during their grand processions? “Who is Jesus of Nazareth for us?� the Holy Father asked us to ponder. “What idea do we have of the Messiah, what idea do we have of God? It is a crucial question, one we cannot avoid, not least because during this very week we are called to follow our king who chooses the cross as his throne.� X + * “We are called to follow a Messiah who promises us, not a facile earthly happiness but the happiness of heaven, divine beatitude. So we must ask ourselves: What are our true expectations?� „ CNS

&ƒ9 &  < &9@_ &‚ †@‡; Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 7.30am, 10.00am (with children’s liturgy), 12.30pm (M*), 3.00pm (with children’s liturgy) & 5.30pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*) with Baptism, 9.45am, 11.30am & 5.30pm SERANGOON DISTRICT CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 8.00am,10.30am (M*), 1.00pm, 3.00pm & 5.00pm; Way of the Cross in Teochew: 10.00am Holy Saturday: 7.00pm (M*), 10.00pm all with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.15am, 11.00am 12.45pm (Korean) & 5.30pm CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 10.00am and 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 8.30am, 11.15am & 6.15pm

CHURCH OF ST ANTHONY Holy Thursday: 9.00pm Good Friday: Service: 9.00am, 12.00pm (M*), 3.00pm, 5.00pm (T*) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 11.15am & 6.00pm

CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 9.00am, 11.30am, 3.00pm; Way of the Cross (outdoors): 7.30pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 9.00am, 11.00am & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA Holy Thursday: 6.30pm & 9.00pm Good Friday: 8.30am (M*), 11.00am (T*), 1.00pm & 3.00pm, 5.00pm (Tg*) Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 8.00am (M*), 10.00am, 11.30am & 5.00pm

ST ANNE’S CHURCH Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: 8.00am; 11.00am & 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.15am; 9.00am; 11.00am & 6.00pm

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: 10.00am & 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 7.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 9.00am, 11.00am & 5.30pm CHURCH OF THE RISEN CHRIST Holy Thursday: 4.00pm, 6.00pm Good Friday: 8.00am (M*), 10.30am, 2.30pm, 5.00pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 8.15am (M*), 9.45am, 11.30am, 6.00pm

CHURCH OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL Holy Thursday: 8.00pm Good Friday: 11.00am (Tg*), 2.30pm, 5.30pm. Children’s Service: 2.30pm @ Fr. Sussard’s Cafe Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.00am, 9.00am, 11.00am & 6.00pm WEST DISTRICT CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: Service: 12.00pm, 3.00pm, 6.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 6.45am, 8.15am, 10.15am, 12.00pm & 6.00pm

BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH Holy Thursday: 7.00pm Good Friday: 10.00am, 12.30pm (M*) & 3.00pm Holy Saturday: 8.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.00am (M*), 10.45am & 5.30pm CHURCH OF ST MARY OF THE ANGELS Holy Thursday: 6.30pm & 8.30pm Good Friday: 11.00am, 1.00pm (M*), 3.00pm, 5.00pm (followed by Way of the Cross (Passion play) & Night Prayer) Holy Saturday: 9.00pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*), 9.00am (Children’s Mass), 10.45am, 12.30pm, 5.30pm & 7.15pm CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 7.30am (T*), 10.00am, 1.00pm & 3.00pm (M*) Holy Saturday: 6.00pm (M*) & 9.00pm (Both with Baptism) Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.00am, 11.00am 6.00pm (M) & 7.30pm (Mylm*) CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS Holy Thursday: 6.00pm & 8.00pm Good Friday: 7.30am, 10.00am, 12.30pm, 3.00pm followed by Way of the Cross, 6.00pm (M*) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with Baptism Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.30am, 11.15am, 1.00pm (M*) with Baptism Note: In English unless indicated. (M*) Mandarin, (T*) Tamil, (Tg*) Tagalog, (EM*) English & Mandarin, (Mylm*) Malayalam All information provided correct at press time. Please contact the individual parishes for updates.

18 YEAR OF FAITH

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

A new way of working for bishops: consultation A look at the Vatican II document, Decree on the By Bishop Howard J Hubbard

Cardinals and bishops leave a meeting of the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelisation at the Vatican Oct 9 last year.

As bishops from around the world gathered in Rome for the XIII ordinary Synod of Bishops from Oct 7-28, 2012, they could thank the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council for making the opportunity possible. The Synod of Bishops, established by Pope Paul VI prior to the conclusion of the council, implemented the bishops’ desire for a permanent structure that would be available to the pope, as needed, to discuss important topics in the Church. In this way, the pope could draw upon the experience and insights of bishops who exercise their ministry within different circumstances and conditions and make decisions that respond to the needs of the Church in the many countries where she exists. The importance of consultation in the exercise of Church governance is a theme that echoes throughout Christus Dominus (Christ the Lord), the Decree on the Pastoral X # * It was the council’s hope that opportunities for consultation would continue to thrive at every level of the Church’s structure. If your diocese had celebrated a diocesan synod any time in the last two decades, you have experienced this hope in action. You are even more likely to be familiar with the councils that exist on the diocesan and parish levels that provide regular opportunities for lay women and men, Religious, priests and deacons to offer their insights and expertise to their bishop or parish pastor to assist them in making decisions & ""

* This very blog is a service provided by another consultative / " & decree, the episcopal conference. The bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gather twice a year to discuss the pastoral needs of the nation and to offer mutual support for the exercise of their ministry as authorita-

+ within their individual dioceses. Their cooperation and concern result in helpful initiatives that are best undertaken on the national level and that serve to strengthen the witness of the Catholic faith within the United States. The decree encouraged bishops to utilise the media to promote the Church’s teaching. While the Council Fathers, in 1965, undoubtedly had in mind the print media – and perhaps also radio and television – their encouragements to adapt always to the changing needs of the times and to engage all of the means that are available to the Church continue to be relevant today. A diocesan bishop’s ministry is most effective when it is carried out in collaboration with auxiliary bishops, priests and deacons, and with the cooperation of laity and Religious.

The Second Vatican Council had hoped that opportunities for consultation would continue to thrive at every level of the Church. The bishop depends on their assistance to further the mission of the Church so that it is truly active and present throughout the diocese. This necessary collaboration and cooperation is enriched by the many and unique gifts that have been given by the Holy Spirit to the faithful in & " " * This brings us back to the Synod of Bishops’ meeting in Rome on the topic of the New Evangelisation. The Decree on the Pastoral X # has enabled the bishops to address together their concern for Catholics who may have fallen away from the regular practice of their faith or from belief in fundamental teachings of the Church. „ USCCB Bishop Howard J Hubbard heads the diocese of Albany, New York, USA.

19

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

CHILDREN’S STORY:

AFTER Jesus told His apostles He was celebrating the Passover with them for the last time, He gave thanks for the wine and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.� Then Jesus broke up a loaf of bread and said, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in " " " *@ = ished eating, Jesus said of the wine, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.� Jesus added a word of warning to His friends. “And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined;

but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.� The apostles wondered which of them would ever betray Jesus. Later that night Jesus went to a garden in the Mount of Olives to pray. Although His apostles were nearby, they had fallen asleep. When Jesus found them, He said, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.� Almost immediately after Jesus had spoken, a crowd of people, including many soldiers, showed up looking for Jesus. Leading them was Judas, who was an apostle of Jesus. As he greeted Jesus with a kiss, Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?� As the soldiers tried to arrest Jesus, one of the apostles asked, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?� Then he drew his sword and swung it at

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

St John of Egypt John of Egypt (d. 394) was a skilled carpenter. When he was 25 years old he left his job and studied with an anchorite, a man who lives as a hermit, for many years, learning obedience, no matter how minor the task. And the man often gave him very minor tasks to perform. John eventually went

+ / " solitary life of prayer and devotion. On weekends he offered spiritual instruction for men who came to him seeking guidance. Many miracles of healing and prophecy are attributed to him. We honour him on March 27. „

the high priest’s servant, cutting off the man’s right ear. Jesus cried out, “Stop, no more of this!� Jesus touched the injured man and healed his ear. After that the soldiers arrested Jesus and brought Him before the high priest. Jesus said to him, “Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness.� The high priest sent Jesus on to Pilate. Pilate in turn sent Jesus to see

Herod, who made fun of Jesus. Herod ordered Jesus to be whipped, after which He was sentenced to death & / * € death, Jesus appeared to His apostles before He returned to heaven. „ Read more about it: Luke 22 and 23

Q&A 1. What did Jesus say about the wine he drank with His apostles? 2. What did Jesus do for the wounded servant?

WORDSEARCH: „ APOSTLES „ THANKS

„ PASSOVER „ WINE

Unscramble the letters to the life of Jesus.

„ KINGDOM

„ JESUS

1. p t b i a m s

„ BREAD

„ MEMORY

2. r c f x n o i i i u c

„ COVENANT

„ OLIVES

________________________________________

________________________________________

3. e r c e t s i u o r n r ________________________________________

4. r a e s b l p a ________________________________________

5. s l a m i r c e ________________________________________

6. g c h a i e n t ________________________________________

7. r t b h i ________________________________________

Bible Accent: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where Joseph, His earthly father, had brought His family to be counted for the census. The baby Jesus was visited by shepherds who had been told of His birth by angels and Magi from the “ € "* When Jesus was 12, He was in Jerusalem for the Passover. Even at that young age He amazed the people in the temple with His knowledge and understanding. At about the age of 30, Jesus began His short ministry, that ended with His death on the cross and His resurrection three days later. After telling His apostles the Holy Spirit would come to help them, Jesus went to heaven. „

PUZZLE:

BIBLE TRIVIA:: What do we call the moment when Jesus returned to heaven?

Answers to Bible Trivia: The Ascension. Answers to Puzzle: ' + $ ; 4. parables 5. miracles 6. teaching 7. birth Answers to Wordsearch:

By Joe Sarnicola

20 WHAT’S ON EVENT SUBMISSIONS We welcome information of events happening in our local Church. Please send your submission at least one month before the event. Online submissions can be made at www. catholic.sg/webevent_form.php

RCIA/RCIY A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith. Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors. SATURDAYS FEB 23 RCIY@ST MARY OF THE ANGELS 3.30-6.45pm: For those aged 13-18. At Church of St Mary of the Angels (5 Bukit Batok East Ave 2). T: 9746 4548 (Jeannette); E: jeanetteyeo@gmail.com WEDNESDAYS FEB 27 RCIA@CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY 7.30-9.30pm: From mid-May, meetings will also be held on Sundays from 11am12.30pm. At Church of the Holy Family (6 Chapel Rd). Register T: 6344 0046, 9666 6542; E: rciaholyfam@gmail.com;

+ * SUNDAYS APRIL 7 RCIA@CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR 7.30-9.30pm: Begins with welcome night followed by sessions commencing on April 14. At Church of our Lady of Perpetual Succour (31 Siglap Hill). Register T: 9760 0038; E: jjwong5@

* "* • + FRIDAYS APRIL 26 RCIA@CHURCH OF ST TERESA 7.45-9pm: At Church of St Teresa 4th

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Level St Paul Room Parish House (510 Kampong Bahru Rd). Register T: 9769 1691, 6271 1184; E: stteresa@singnet. "* • + SATURDAYS MAY 4 RCIY@CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING 3.30-6.45pm: For those aged 13-18. At Church of Christ the King Room 105 (At 2221 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8). Register T: 9667 9952 (Iris), 9362 8263 (Daryl); E: rciyctk@gmail.com SUNDAYS JUNE 8 RCIC/RCIY@CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 9.45am (RCIC), 3pm (RCIY). At Church of the Holy Spirit (248 Upper Thomson Rd). RCIC for 7 to 12 years old. RCIY for 13 to 20 years old. T: 9740 3993 (Jamie – RCIC), 8499 9420 (Elizabeth – RCIY); E: jamie_ze_pig@hotmail.com (RCIC), lizjteh@gmail.com (RCIY) WEDNESDAYS JUNE 19 RCIA@CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY 7.45-9.45pm: At Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Hall A/B 3rd Floor of Parish Centre (24 Highland Rd). T: 9627 3835 (Nancy), 9616 2001 (Agnes); E: rcia@ihm.sg; Register W: http://ihm.sg/rcia

ALPHA COURSE The Alpha course helps people have a basic understanding of the Christian faith. MONDAYS APRIL 1 TO JULY 8 12.30-1.30pm. Alpha in the workplace. At 206/208A Telok Ayer St. Register T: 9761 2504; E: alphacac@catholic.org

FROM TUESDAYS MARCH 12 CPS SUNTEC NEW LUNCHTIME MASS VENUE AT MILLENIA TOWER 12.15pm & 1.15pm: At Kids Performing (Millenia Tower 2nd Floor, opposite Parco). W: http://www.cps.org.sg MARCH 17 STATIONS OF THE CROSS IN TAMIL 11am-2pm. At St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah). Cost: $5 (with lunch). Transport provided from Church of Our lady of Lourdes at 10.30am. Register T: 9451 5319 (Peter Julius), 97739439 (Albert), 9243 0952 (Chinnappan) MARCH 20 TALK ON THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 7:30-9.30pm: Talk on The Roman Catholic Church in Southeast Asia: Challenges, Past and Present by Dr Julius Bautista. By the Inter-Religious Organisation Singapore. Free event. At 70 Palmer Road, #05-01 Palmer House WEDNESDAYS MARCH 20 RELAXATION EXERCISE IN CHINESE 10-11am: Therapeutic breathing and guided imagery exercises will be taught to release tension, boost energy and mood to help one stay calm. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month. By Clarity Singapore. At Block 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register: 67577 990, 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org WEDNESDAYS MARCH 20 TO JUNE 5 CATHOLICISM 9.30-11.30am: A DVD-based programme presented by Rev Robert Baron that explains what Catholics believe and why. At Church of the Holy Spirit (Room A2-01). Register T: 9815 4098 (Genevieve), 8228 8220 (Clare) E: HSBibleApostolate@gmail.com FRIDAY MARCH 22 TO SUNDAY MARCH 24 COMBINED POLYTECHNICS CAMP Fri (11am)-Sun (1pm): A camp for polytechnic freshmen students on the theme unity. Cost: $30 (includes T-shirt, food and lodging). At Church of St Teresa. Register: 9731 9327 (Kimberly); E: kimberlyholilin@gmail.com MARCH 23 I AM SPECIAL I AM ME ’*‘ ")” "� ) $ foster a healthy self image for children. Using games, role-play, skits and videos to help children better understand themselves. By Morning Star Community Services. At 4 Lor Low Koon. Register T: 6285 1377; E: shubashini@morningstar. org.sg MARCH 23 MONUMENTAL WALKING TOUR 10-11.30am: Get a historical and personal insight into how inspiration, faith, grit and destiny combine to establish Catholic churches in 19th-century Singapore. Monuments covered include St Joseph’s Church, Church of Sts Peter and Paul, Cathedral of Good Shepherd. Register with name, NRIC, age and contact E: nhb_nationalmonuments@nhb.gov.sg MARCH 23 FAMILY NIGHT – THE 5 LANGUAGES OF LOVE IN ACTION 6.30-9.30pm: Explore the love languages of your family via a variety of fun activities and games. A time to bond and strengthen family ties. Registration required. By Morning Star Community Services. At 4 Lor Low Koon. Register T: 6285 1377; E: shubashini@morningstar.org.sg MARCH 29 PASSION PLAY ' )' *Œ” "� % { , passion through a Passion Play put together by the young people of the De Vita Christi Youth Community. At Church of St Ignatius (Main church). MARCH 29 PASSION PLAY 1pm: A recreation of the Passion of Christ, following closely to the fourteen Stations of the Cross. Decked in Roman clothing, and under the sweltering heat, walking step by step with Jesus, experience a glimpse of what it was like for Jesus over 2,000 years ago. By Arise Youth Ministry. At Church of Sts Peter and Paul. T: 9139 0175 (Marcus); E: ariseyouthministry.spp@gmail.com

WEDNESDAYS APRIL 3 RELAXATION EXERCISE IN ENGLISH 10-11am: Therapeutic breathing and guided imagery exercises. Every 1st Wednesday of the month. By Clarity Singapore. At Block 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register: 67577 990, 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org FRIDAY APRIL 5 TO SUNDAY APRIL 7 RETROUVAILLE WEEKEND Fri (8pm)-Sun (6pm): For those serious about making their marriage work. By Retrouvaille Singapore. At 201-B Punggol 17th Ave. Register: T: 6749 8861 (Michael/ Lucy); E: retrouvaillesingapore@yahoo. com.sg; W: http://www.helpourmarriage.sg APRIL 6 FINDING GOD IN YOUR WRITING PART 1 9.30am-5pm: Through writing exercises and other activities, explore and express your thoughts, feelings and gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your relationship with others and God. Cost: $100 (with lunch). By Kingsmead CISC. At 8 Victoria Park Rd. Register by March 27. T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com APRIL 6 AN AFTERNOON OF NOSTALGIA 3-6.30pm: Remembering former principal Dr Mary McCarthy. School tour, memorial Mass, presentation of school plans, sale of special and commemorative items, refreshments. By Marymount Convent School Alumnae. At Marymount Convent School (20 Marymount Rd). E: del_kang2001@yahoo.com APRIL 7 OLPS MASS AND POTLUCK BY CATHOLIC SINGLES 10am: Meet single Catholics from across parishes. Mass followed by potluck at OLPS. Please bring some food to share with others. Faith based activities after Mass. Meet at 10am at church canteen. Register E: CatholicSingle@gmail.com; FB: https://www.facebook.com/ CatholicSinglesSingapore TUESDAYS APRIL 9 TO APRIL 30 CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 7.30-9.30pm: Rediscover the fundamental content of the Catholic faith. Insights into The Creed, The Sacraments of Faith, The Life of Faith, and The Prayer of the Believers through video presentation. All welcome. By F.R.E.E Ministry. At Church of the Risen Christ. E: free.risenchrist@gmail.com. FRIDAY APRIL 12 TO SUNDAY APRIL 14 SACCRE ABLAZE WEEKEND NORTH DISTRICT Fri (7.30pm)-Sun (6.30pm): Weekend is " individuals, ministries and parishes. Lively praise and worship, time of prayer, talks, testimonies, ministering and workshops centred in the areas of renewal, faith, intercession, repentance and evangelisation. By SACCRE North District. At Church of the Holy Spirit Level 4 Attic (248 Upp Thomson Rd). Register E: charleschuah@ gmail.com, johnlaw@singnet.com.sg APRIL 13 EASTER CHARITY CONCERT 8-10pm: Vox Cordis Chorus will be narrating and singing the story of the Passion of the Christ, beautifully composed by Pepper Choplin. By KKIS Indonesia Catholic Community. At Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (31 Siglap Hill) APRIL 20 MASS FOR THE POOR 2-4pm: Annual celebratory Mass for the poor, in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, founder of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. At Church of St Vincent de Paul. APRIL 20 SUBFERTILITY: ETHICAL OPTIONS FOR CATHOLIC COUPLES 2-4pm: Catholic couples are aware that the Church does not allow IVF. Forum will help couples understand this teaching and explore effective and ethical options available. By Catholic Medical Guild and Natural Family Planning Service Singapore. At Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre (St Paul’s Auditorium). E: subfertilityforum@gmail.com; Register W: http://subfertilityforum.caritashost.sg

SATURDAY APRIL 20 AND SUNDAY APRIL 21 THEOLOGY OF THE BODY CRASH COURSE 9am-5pm: Based on Christopher West’s DVD series. For those who want to understand sexuality and spirituality on a deeper level. Facilitated by Andrew Kong and team. By Apostolate for Catholic Truth. At International Plaza, 29-03, 10 Anson Rd (above Tanjong Pagar MRT). Register SMS: 9649 3893; E: andrew.kong@catholic.org.sg APRIL 21 7TH ANNIVERSARY OF DIVINE MERCY PRAYERS IN TAMIL 6.30-9pm: St Joseph Tamil Prayer Group will celebrate its 7th Anniversary of Divine Mercy Prayers in Tamil with Mass at 7pm. All welcome. At Blessed Sacrament Church. MONDAYS APRIL 22TO MAY 13 ANXIETY SUPPORT GROUP 7-8.30pm: For individuals who are struggling with issues of anxiety. The support group is designed to help persons share experiences, exchange information, develop appropriate coping skills and natural support systems. By Clarity Singapore. At Block 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register: 67577 990, 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org APRIL 26 EUCHARISTIC ADORATION FOR YOUNG ADULTS 8-9.30pm: With rosary, scriptural % & * By Generation Christ! Ministry. At Church of St Ignatius (St Francis Xavier Chapel Kingsmead Hall). E: gen.christ.ministry@gmail.com APRIL 27 TRANSITION AT MIDLIFE 9am-1pm: The talk will cover topics such as Problem to Promise: Negotiating the Passage into Midlife; The Invitations of Midlife Necessary Losses: Making space for the New Broken Dreams and Future Vision. Conducted by Sr Linda Lizada. Cost: $20. By Clarity Singapore. At National Volunteers & Philanthropy Centre (6 Eu Tong Sen Street #04-88, The Central, NPH2 Level 3). Register T: 6757 7990/9710 3733; E: lightingtheway@clarity-singapore.org APRIL 28 TO JUNE 2 MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE For couples intending to get married. X ) " ) + & * Quarter 3 course from July 21 to Aug 25. T: 9839 9840 (Ron/Grace); E: mpcsingapore@gmail.com; Register in parishes or W: http://www.catholic.org.sg/mpc FRIDAY MAY 3 TO SUNDAY MAY 5 MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND Fri (8pm)-Sun (6pm): A live-in marriage enrichment programme for married couples. Equip yourselves on this till-the-end-of-time journey of love. By ME Singapore. At 201-B Punggol 17th Avenue. Register: T: 9670 5390; E: register@marriage-encounter-sg.org THURSDAY MAY 9 TO SUNDAY MAY 12 FROM CONSUMER TO COWBOY Thu (7pm)-Sun (5pm): A retreat for those % challenge of Christian commitment in a consumerist world. Cost: $210 (non air-con room), $270 (air-con room). Facilitated by Fr Christopher Soh, SJ. By Kingsmead CISC. At 8 Victoria Park Rd. Register by Apr 29. T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com MAY 18 PENTECOSTAL RALLY 7.30-10.30pm: An evening of prayer, praise and thanksgiving to celebrate the Church’s birthday with praise and worship led by Youth Charismatic Ministry. At Church of St Ignatius (St Ignatius Hall). E: devitachristi@gmail.com MAY 31 CANDLELIGHT ROSARY WALK AND 5TH ANNIVERSARY MASS 8-10pm: Candlelight Rosary Walk to honour Mother Mary, followed by the 5th Anniversary Mass of Gen-Christ! Young Adults Eucharistic Adoration Ministry. By Generation Christ! Ministry. At Church of St Ignatius (Garden of Light). E: gen.christ.ministry@gmail.com

24 WORLD

Sunday March 24, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Students select ‘pope’ in mock conclave ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, USA – Students from St Louis Catho-

lic School in Alexandria, USA, erupted in cheers as they “elected� a student playing Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson as the “new pope� during a mock conclave held at a gym turned “Sistine Chapel� on March 4. The “conclave� explained the pope selection process in a tangible way. Middle schoolers acted as cardinals, Swiss Guards, priests, Sisters, nurses, reporters and security personnel to re-enact a conclave for the whole school. “It was a lot of fun for them just to dress the part but they really got into it. Some even picked this or that cardinal they knew [of],� said Fr Matthew H Zuberbueler, pastor of St Louis, which is in the Arlington Diocese. “During the selection, they were very solemn. Every word mattered.� The 34 “cardinals� of St Louis School included well-known members of the College of Cardinals, along with representatives of all the continents. The “cardinals� spent two weeks learning & Church and following media speculation about who was likely

Students from St Louis Catholic School in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, take part in a mock conclave held in a gym on March 4. CNS photo

to replace Pope Benedict XVI. “It’s a really good experience for us to learn what really happens in Rome,� said John Ferguson, a seventh-grader who played Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet.

The rest of the school learned about the cardinals’ native continents to prepare for the conclave. On March 1, the “cardinals� visited the elementary school classrooms to introduce themselves.

The “conclave� aimed to be as realistic as possible. Volunteers sewed costumes for the “cardinals�, made ballots in Latin, transformed the gym into the “Sistine Chapel� and built

the balcony from which the new “pope� would greet the Church. During the “conclave�, the “cardinals� swore secrecy before casting their votes. A security team checked for recording devices before the “cardinals� processed in. To show all aspects of the process, Fr Zuberbueler designated a “cardinal� to be “sick�, so the students would see what happens if a cardinal is ill during the conclave. Mr Daniel Baillargeon, St Louis principal, said that the activity invigorated the students’ faith. “Understanding is critical for evangelisation,� Mr Baillargeon told the Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper. Fr Zuberbueler reminded the audience that a cardinal needed to receive two-thirds of the votes to be elected pope. Once “Cardinal Turkson� reached that number, the room boomed with excitement. He accepted his role and chose the name of Sebastian I. The new “pope� then greeted the world from a wooden balcony facing “St Peter’s Square�. „ CNS

PUBLISHED BY ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS CHIA, 2 HIGHLAND ROAD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102. PRINTED BY TIMESPRINTERS, 16 TUAS AVE 5, SINGAPORE 639340.

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